Sitting in a rainbow

Published on 13 December 2019

Over the past few years, in the wake of tragedy, a dusty Hackham West reserve has been transformed by the power and collaboration of a community.

The idea for the Vintners Walk Butterfly Garden was sparked in 2015 when a vigil for local woman Jackie Ohide, who was murdered by her partner, was held at the reserve’s pre-existing butterfly sculpture.

A group of local residents decided to create an Indigenous demonstration garden that would honour domestic violence victims and provide a place of sanctuary for wildlife and people.

Since then, community members of all ages and a range of local groups (spearheaded by People Matters Hackham West and supported by the City of Onkaparinga) have banded together to create an idyllic space, incorporating thousands of plants, a large public butterfly artwork, a butterfly species information display, pallet furniture, bee hotels and more.